Last year, Eastern Mennonite became the first-ever eighth seeded team to win an ODAC Tournament. This year, the softball women have a chance to enter the conference tourney as the top seed. They left themselves with little margin for error, however, settling for a split with Randolph Sunday afternoon in Harrisonburg. EMU closes the regular season Monday at Emory & Henry.

EMU 12, Randolph 7
Box Score
After the pregame ceremonies for Senior & Parent Recognition, the Lady Royals came out flat, giving up three runs to the WildCats in the top of the first. The women got one back in their first at-bat, but Randolph brought in one more helped by two EMU errors in the second, taking a 4-1 lead.

The women finally took over in the bottom of the third, putting together seven hits and plating six runs to go on top 7-4. Courtney Allman (Weyers Cave, Va./Fort Defiance) had a two-run double in the rally.

Lisa Lee (Buckingham, Va./Buckingham County) led off the fourth with a ground-rule double and later scored on a wild pitch. The women added another run in the fifth to go up 9-4.

But Randolph regrouped in the sixth, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring three times to get within two, 9-7.

Sara Jenkins (Stanley, Va./Page County) added some insurance in the bottom of the frame with a three-run homer to left as the Lady Royals took the 12-7 win.

Eastern Mennonite rapped out 18 hits in the opener but also committed three errors. Senior Jessica Sullivan (Midlothian, Va./Manchester) went 4-4 with two RBIs and a run. Fellow senior Jamie Blosser (Crimora, Va./Wilson Memorial) was 3-3 with three doubles, as she scored twice and knocked in another run.

Brooke Hensley (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) went 3-4. Lee finished 2-4 with three runs.

Lee also pitched the complete game from the mound, allowing five earned runs to improve to 16-6.

Randolph 9, EMU 7
Box Score
The nightcap turned into quite the thriller, full of hits, errors and seventh-inning drama.

Jessica Blosser (Crimora, Va./Wilson Memorial) doubled in the game's first run in the third, and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

The WildCats used three hits to score their first run in the fourth, then plated three more with the help of two EMU errors to skip ahead 4-2. Randolph scored three more unearned runs in the fifth, bloating their lead to 7-2.

But the bats returned for the Lady Royals in the bottom of the frame, triggering a two-out rally. Pitcher Molly Smith (Elkton, Va./Spotswood) started everything with a single up the middle. After Allman and Sullivan singled to load the bases, Rasheeda Crews (Brookneal, Va./William Campbell) hit a two-run double. Jenkins added a two-run single as the women got back within 7-6.

In the sixth, Allman singled in Hensley to tie the score at 7-7, but EMU left two runners on base.

Randolph opened up the seventh with three straight hits, plating a run to go back in front. Lee replaced Smith on the hill, but she gave up another RBI single before getting out of the jam, leaving the WildCats up 9-7.

Needing at least two runs to continue the game, Crews led off the bottom of the seventh by reaching on an error. Jenkins, who had already homered once on the day, stepped to the plate and ripped a shot to deep center. The ball hit the fence on the fly for a long single, mere feet from a game-tying homerun.

With runners on the corners and nobody out, the Lady Royals botched a double steal and Crews was thrown out at third. The play took the steam out of the women and a strikeout and fly ball ended the game.

Despite out-hitting Randolph 15-11, the women hurt themselves by committing five errors. Only four of RC's nine runs were earned. Smith took the hard-luck loss to slide to 7-5.

She also led the offense, going 3-3 from the plate with a walk and scoring a run. Allman was 3-4 with a run and RBI. Crews and Jenkins each had two hits and two RBIs.

It was the final home game for seniors Jessica and Jamie Blosser, Sullivan and Megan Barbour (Nokesville, Va./Brentsville District).

With the split, the Lady Royals settled at 23-11 overall and 12-4 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. EMU wraps up the regular season Monday afternoon at Emory & Henry. The women control their own destiny for the top seed in the upcoming ODAC Tournament and would claim the top spot with a sweep of the Wasps.

The ODAC Tournament starts Thursday in Salem, Va. The bracket will be released after the completion of Monday's games.